historicphotoarchive.net [From E+D, the Mercury‘s new Spring Eat & Drink Guide!] PEANUT BUTTER PIE at Metro on Broadway. Cobb salad at Meier & Frank’s Georgian Room. Fried calamari—and the Decemberists—at the Grand Avenue basement bar, the Rabbit Hole. These are just a few of the dishes and places that once defined the way Portlanders ate […]
History
Posted inBuild Out
The Central Eastside’s Vanishing Borders
Diving into the Future of One of Portland’s Most Rapidly Changing Areas
Diving into the future of one of Portland’s most rapidly changing areas.
Posted inFood and Drink
Local Tofu Makers Are Masters of the Craft
REMEMBER THE 1990S, when no one was mad at soy? Tofu, made from soy milk, was the herbivore’s go-to protein for everything from burritos to burgers. Love it or hate it, tofu is still a versatile staple for budget-minded vegetarians. I say here’s to you, tofu. If you’ve never had freshly made tofu, still warm […]
Posted inHistory
Everything as Fuck: Belgium
Ryan Alexander-Tanner Days like today, I think about my grandmother. It’s tragically, agonizingly fitting that this latest terrorist massacre happened in Belgium, where my grandmother’s family was once terrorized. There is a comfort, however small, in looking at my grandmother. There is a comfort in looking at a woman who has stared down evil until […]
Posted inHistory
The Birthplace of Homelessness
How Old Town Became Portland’s Primary Homeless District
How Old Town became Portland’s primary homeless district.
Posted in?!?!?
Happy Exploding Whale Day!
Courtesy KATU “THAR SHE BLOWS!!” In one of the most hilariously weird examples of Oregon history, on November 12, 1970, officials decided to use a half-ton of dynamite to dispose of a dead whale (which apparently really stank) that had washed ashore on the Oregon coast in Florence. Turns out that a half-ton was overdoing […]
Posted inHousing
Low-Income Housing Gets a History Lesson
For the past decade or so, we Portlanders have had to reconcile our need for sufficient housing to accommodate our rapidly growing population with our desire to maintain our city’s ecological and cultural integrity. The former has been more or less accomplished with the help of our regional government Metro’s urban growth boundary, which prioritizes […]
Posted inArchitecture
Old-Timey Portland: Inside the Society Hotel
A recognizable Old Town landmark is getting reformatted into a boutique hotel soon. Later this year the Mariner’s Home on NW 3rd and Couch will become the Society Hotel, a boutique guest house that the owners describe as being similar in style to a hostel. The pink and teal building has a colorful history. In […]
Posted inHistory
Obama’s Remarks on Historic Marriage Equality Decision
We are people who believe every child is entitled to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. There is so much more work to be done to extend the full promise of America to every American. But today, we can say in no uncertain terms that we’ve made our union a little more perfect. […]
Posted inPortland
Get to Know Your City, Win Tix to Sir Mix-A-Lot
If the cameo appearances of summer weather and rising percentages of pitbull puppies downtown haven’t signaled it to you yet, Portland is about to dive into high tourist season. I met some Canadians in Thailand a few months back and we were asking each other what brought visitors to our respective cities. Food/drink and outdoor […]
Posted inPortland
How the Waterfront Evolved from Shit-Filled Dump to a Place of Beauty
EVEN WHEN IT’S SHROUDED in a fine layer of mist, someone is always out enjoying Portland’s waterfront. People are jogging, walking their dogs, looking at the river, or tapping their cigarette ashes into the water below. On sunny days, it’s a riot. Pedestrians, bicyclists, punks, street musicians—a whole panoply of humanity clusters around the Willamette. […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
This Sunday: Portland’s History of Radical Theater
I got handed an unusual gig earlier this year. Triangle Productions hired me to research Storefront, an old Portland theater company, and give a pair of lectures about it. This is a bit outside my normal wheelhouse. I am very much a local history nerd, but most of what I get into has to deal […]